Monthly Archive for March, 2008

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Exchange Rate

Published on Thursday, March 13, 2008 in Photos, Random Thoughts and Travel. 1 Comment

It’s no secret that the American Dollar is taking a beating right now. In fact, an easy way to calculate how much things “cost” in London compared to here is to use the 2 to 1 ratio. Travelers to the United States are getting a bargain for their hard-earned money! The other way across the pond is a tad more expensive. Yikes.

Of course, this calculation is not perfect and fluctuates every day. To see just what it’s doing today, just type this into Google: 1 GBP = ? USD

Lovely.

So, imagine our surprise when my hubby dumped his pockets out and found a mixture of British coins and American coins and we discovered this:

Exchange Rate

You can click on the image to enlarge it.
Clicking a second time will make it bigger.

I’m not sure what the rules are about making photo representations of money, so I decided to take a picture of my hand. *cough* ;)

Not only is the American Quarter ($0.25) the same size as the British Ten Pence, it’s worth about the same. (That Google search works best if you use 0.25 USD = ? GBP)

How fitting.

Today is the day

Published on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 in Claire, It's a paycheck and Parenting 101. 5 Comments

I would say, “Today is the first day of the rest of my life,” but that’s just a little too cliché, don’tcha think?  Plus, the Zen Master part of my brain would quietly ask, “That describes every day, yes?”  ;)

That being said, today is a big day.  Today is my last day of work!  (You can read about that here.)  We all know that productive things rarely happen on the last day, so in reality, yesterday was my last day…and because I’m such a perfectionist, I had things wrapped up on Monday.  Yesterday felt like a day of freedom, and it was a nice taste of what’s to come.

Today is the day that I make sure the people I want to stay in contact with have my non-work numbers and information.  Today is the day I make sure everything looks in order before I pull the plug on my business line and shred all my documents.  Today is the day I make a run for the door and never look back.

Oh wait…I live here.
:)

So, I won’t be driving away from an office with my cardboard box of office knick-knacks on my seat and glance one more time in my rearview mirror…but I will be making a clean break.

Claire won’t remember this day.  All she’ll remember is that Momma used to be really stressed and she used to type all the time, and then one day that changed.  Claire has even started saying, “I’m just so busy.  I have so many files to do!” when she’s playing.  Hopefully we can replace that dialogue with something that’s a little less stressful.  (How about, “I have to work on my book!  Can’t you be quiet in there!?”)  ;)

Claire and I leisurely made dinner for Daddy last night, for the first time in I don’t know how long, and we actually had fun doing it.  Today, I woke up earlier than normal (oddly enough) and actually figured out a meal-plan in my head.  On purpose.  For fun.

Maybe this transition won’t be so hard after all…  ;)

What’s that?

Published on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 in Claire, Conversations, Fun, It's a paycheck and Language. 0 Comments

This afternoon, Claire and I had the great fortune to take a walk to the lake. The weather is gorgeous today…sunny and in the upper 60s. We live just up the street from a really nice lake, and lately, I haven’t had a chance to take her for any leisurely nature walks.

But, because I’m a quitter, I have all the time in the world! Ha. Just kidding. I’m not a quitter. I’m a re-arranger-of-priorities…and there’s a big difference. ;)

It’s amazing how many things you can see just on the way to the lake. Did you know that if you walk slowly enough, you can watch the ants and other little bugs, running for dear life? All those rocks that appear to be the same by the neighbor’s sidewalk are all different? There are also all kinds of interesting things to be found down by the lake.

Claire kept exchanging one magnificent stick for another, each one a little better for digging around in the dirt than the other.

Speaking of interesting things we discovered on our nature walk today, here is one of my favorite conversations of the day:

Claire, pointing to something on the ground: “What’s that?”

Momma: “That’s a feather.”

C: “What’s that?”

Me: “That’s a feather.”

C: “What’s that?”

Me: “That’s another feather.”

C: “What’s that?”

Me: “Oh, that’s a piece of goose poop.”

C: “Goose poop is not a feather.”

I guess you had to be there. ;)

Claire-isms – Cap Battles & Placemaps

Published on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 in Claire, Claire-isms, Language and Photos. 2 Comments

I’ve talked before about the words Claire uses for things, but it will never cease to amaze me. I’ve started writing them down, because as she grows older, the proper words for things will win out, and I will have forgotten all about these Claire-isms.

Here are two of my current favorites:

Cap Battles:

Cap Battles are the round flat objects that come off the tops of bottled beverages. They resemble bottle caps. ;) They can have sharp edges and are not toys, so Momma doesn’t let Claire play with cap battles. If Claire sees them (downstairs on the tray that we keep on the couch or ottoman, or upstairs on the counter), she’s quick to reach them and bring them to Momma or Daddy for disposal.

A placemap:

A placemap is a protective covering that is used at Claire’s place at the table. Her cups, bowls, plates and utensils sit on the placemap. At times, she will eat food directly off the placemap.

a placemap

You can click on the picture to enlarge it. Clicking a second time will show more detail.

Of course, after seeing the placemap, it’s really easy to see where she comes up with this word, and it’s really hard to correct her…since she’s actually right. ;)

Clark Kent’s Disguise…Again.

Published on Monday, March 10, 2008 in Re-run. 0 Comments

Losing an hour with the ‘new and improved’ time-change has really done a number on us!  While I try to get things wrapped up and sorted out on this end, here is a re-run from the past.  It was originally posted on August 4, 2007 in the fun, milestones and Claire categories. 

In this post, Claire is 20-months old.

Enjoy!

Clark Kent’s Disguise

If you haven’t gathered it by now, Claire is a pretty easy-going girl. She greets everyone she sees, in stores, and restaurants, etc., with a “Hi!” but when it comes to getting really close to her or trying to hold her, it usually only takes her a few minutes to warm up to new people. Different people fall into different categories. If you’re female, and she’s seen you before, there is no hesitation. If you’re female, and she hasn’t seen you before, it takes a few more seconds. If you’re male…all bets are off. If she’s seen you a lot, she will eventually warm-up, but the truth is she’s scared to death of most men.

Because my hubby’s parents visit often, Claire is no longer hesitant of PaPa. She will go right to him, and the warm-up time has gotten shorter and shorter with each visit.

During their visit in June, Granny and PaPa went swimming with us. We have an awesome Rec Center near us that has a myriad of different pools and play areas, all done up in a water-park theme. It’s cheap for residents and seniors and free for kids Claire’s age, so we try to go as often as Momma’s workload will allow.

So, we all pile in the car, and Claire is chatting with PaPa and Granny all the way to the pool. We decide to go into the Family Locker Room, so that we can use the same padlock to lock up our things. PaPa goes into one of the dressing rooms to change into his swim trunks, and totally disappears. The person that came out of the dressing room sounded like him, but looked like this scary old man. Who was this man without glasses? Where is his shirt? Why does he keep following us!? Why is he trying to touch me!? Momma! Momma! Momma!

Claire was scared to death. I tried and tried to convince her that the scary old man was really PaPa without his glasses, but she wouldn’t believe me. She clung to me like a little monkey, her little face buried in my neck. She would only relax when that strange old man swam farther away from us or was taking his turn riding down the water-slide. (They have a really cool, fast, water-slide for kids and adults…the bigger you are the faster you go…and needless to say, it’s a pretty exciting ride. ;) In fact, all we could see of PaPa when he came bursting out of the tube was an explosion of water and a flash of gray hair and red swim trunks.)

Neither Granny nor I swim with our glasses on, but Claire didn’t seem to mind that one bit. It was only poor PaPa that had disappeared and been replaced with that strange man. That disguise Superman uses? It would totally work on Claire.

So, we’re there for a couple of hours, and when we get out to the car, PaPa goes around back to put his swim bag in the trunk. I’m buckling Claire into the car seat, and PaPa pokes his head into the back seat. “Hi, Claire!” he says. “Oh, HI, PAPA!” she screamed! And, I could hear her babble something that sounded an awful lot like, “It’s so good to finally see you. It’s too bad you missed out on all the swimming.”

He was only there for two weeks, and he’s already talking like a Brit.

Published on Sunday, March 9, 2008 in Claire, Conversations, Language, Travel and Travel - Europe. 6 Comments

My hubby:  “I can’t imagine trying to see The Crown Jewels in the summer.  The queue would be unbearable.”

Me:  “The queue would be unbearable?  Who are you?”

Claire:  “Momma, that’s Daddy!”

:)

Almost Home Haiku

Published on Saturday, March 8, 2008 in Claire, Poetry and Travel. 2 Comments

Scheduled flight cancelled
One more night away from us
He’ll be home today

Hopefully…

Yes, Daddy’s connecting flight last night was cancelled in Chicago. No weather problems. Fully functional plane. “Crew issues.” What is that, exactly?

It doesn’t matter. It is what it is. He was able to get a flight out today, and is waiting to board right now. Claire and I will go pick him up this afternoon, after he retrieves his bag. His bag didn’t have to deal with crew issues, so it arrived on schedule last night.

How convenient.

“Daddy will be home today?”
“Yes, Daddy will be home today.”

*huge sigh of relief*

After two weeks, another day doesn’t mean much to a toddler. And, it shouldn’t mean much to me, but it does.

I’ve found that it’s all in my reaction, and she didn’t see me cry last night… So, it’s all good. He’ll be home soon and the last two weeks will fade into a blur.

I can’t wait.

Lost Observations – “The Other Woman”

Published on Friday, March 7, 2008 in TV Shows and TV: Lost - The Show. 1 Comment

Well, it was another fun-filled episode of Lost last night! I love the episodes that are all full of science and maps and lots of complicated screenshots that would hold all kinds of clues, and I also like episodes like “The Other Woman” that deal more with the character side of things. Yes, we got to see a new DHARMA station (The Tempest), and there is the mystery of the poisonous gas, but I love looking into what’s making the characters tick, too.

After watching the episode last night, I wrote some notes on the pad of paper on my desk. I think that’s as good a place as any to start with the comments and questions that I have.

So, here we go:

We met a new character last night: Harper Stanhope. I picked up on the jealousy vibe instantaneously from her, and I wondered in the back of my mind if she was in love with Goodwin and sensed Juliet as a threat. As it turns out, she was Goodwin’s wife, and my gut feeling about her was true.

Shame on Juliet, by the way! ;) Naughty, naughty.

So, why did Ben send Harper to tell Juliet about the plan? Did Ben send her? Was she real? Those Others certainly know how to disappear rather quickly in the jungle. The rain and crazy whispers just make it even creepier.

Also, in one of Juliet’s sessions, they are talking about Ben “getting hurt,” and Harper says, “You look just like her,” and I took that to be a reference to Ben’s mother. I remember back when we didn’t know who Juliet was, and when we saw her, I thought maybe she was Ben’s mother. The two actresses look very similar, and that can’t be a mere coincidence. Can it?

Gee, Ben has mommy issues? Really? That’s so shocking. ;) I think, in a twisted way, it explains some of his infatuation with Juliet. Juliet really was “the other woman” in more ways than one, huh? (She’s caught in so many triangles that I’m starting to lose count…)

Speaking of really seeing this side to Ben, we’re reminded that he is human. He’s not just a monster or a master-mind. Is he strong enough to control his feelings without making mistakes? Jealousy, greed, and narcissistic power are known to be downfalls if not handled properly.

As I was watching this episode, I couldn’t help but wonder who the real Ben really is. Is he “one of the good guys” as he claims? I mean, he was pretty convincing when he said he was Henry Gale. And, “good” is so relative and really depends on your perspective.

I couldn’t help but think about how “the long con” plays into this series. We see people being conned left and right, and to what end? We don’t know. We won’t see the whole picture until the end. Are we being conned right along with Locke, or Juliet, or Jack?

Good or bad, Ben always has a plan, and I have a feeling that what Harper told Juliet about Ben being “exactly where he wants to be” is true. Why? Who knows. But, I do think his, “See you at dinner!” was probably the best line of the night. :)

AND, who else shouted “No fair!!” at the screen when it ended and we weren’t told who the ‘man on the boat’ is!? John gets to know but we don’t? Boo! ;) Word on the street is that it’s Michael, and to be honest, I’ve heard that so many times that I almost hope it’s someone different. (Plus, I’m still mad at him for shooting Libby…so, on second thought, maybe it’s good that he’s being forced to work for Ben.) Ha!

I was glad to see more of Mr. Widmore. I want to know who he was beating up and how that person “got caught.” Doing what? Where? Is Mr. Widmore really one of the bad guys? Again, perspective is everything.

I think this episode solidified in my mind that Ben is a distraught, sad and pathetic bully, deep down inside. But, I don’t think those things make him weak. I think he’s very powerful and I wonder what his plan really is.

I can’t wait to read the recaps of this episode and watch it again for things I missed. Check out my blogroll or the Lost Category for some good links.

I know I say it after each episode, but…I can’t wait for next week! :)

A gap on my résumé

Published on Thursday, March 6, 2008 in Claire, It's a paycheck, Milestones and Parenting 101. 9 Comments

Last week was a huge milestone for me and my professional life. For the first time since I graduated from college (almost 12 years ago), I’m going to have a gap on my résumé.

I gave my two week notice!

I’m going to be staying home with Claire full-time!

It’s been a week since I’ve given my notice, and I have one week of work left. It’s taken a while for me to process this information and come to terms with my fast-approaching new reality. Needless to say, I’m extremely nervous and excited about this new role.

I had my reasons for working from home, and I actually really enjoyed it…when it worked for me and our situation.

The reason I was working from home was so that we didn’t have to put Claire in daycare. I wanted to be the primary caregiver.

The reason I was working from home was so that I could raise a child and have adult interaction throughout the day and stay “busy.” That was easy when Claire was a newborn. (I started with this company while pregnant with Claire, took a 6-week pseudo-break after giving birth to her and then started right in again. I’ve been there for almost 2.5 years.) And, it was somewhat challenging when Claire was a baby, but I made adjustments. I thrive on deadlines, challenges and multiple obligations, and I always have. I’m organized, and I like being busy.

The reason I was working from home was so that I could feel productive and like I was contributing to our financial goals. I made really good money at my job, for what it was, and extra money is very rarely a bad thing.

So, why the change?

Claire had always handled my working from home with ease. She was an easy newborn and an easy baby, and she really likes playing by herself and keeping herself occupied. We set up a play area in my office so that I could easily keep an eye on her while doing my job, and it worked great.

I was able to fit all of my allotted work into Claire’s naptimes or her quiet playtimes, and it worked great.

I was able to juggle all the responsibilities of my new role as a mother and my already-established skills as an independent contractor, and it worked great.

I was really good at my job, and it gave me a feeling of satisfaction, and it worked great.

Again…why the change?

Well, things started not working so great. Because I am the way I am, I was determined to make things work. I tightened my schedule and honed my organization and buckled down. I got up early, stayed up late, and worked like a crazed madwoman to make it all look seamless to the outside world.

Failure was not an option. Period. We had a plan, and I always stick to the plan.

Things were working, and I convinced myself that as long as they were working adequately, they didn’t need to be great. Unfortunately, it’s hard to convince even a casual perfectionist that it’s okay when things aren’t perfect.

The summer proved to be the breaking point, and I was overwhelmed with a workload that was unacceptable to me. Although I was an independent contractor and could turn away work if it was too much, the thought of putting others in a bind was not an option. I took on more than I could handle and handled it anyway. I started working weekends and got things done. I was nearly at my wits end, but they don’t call it work for nuthin’, right? Right?

Plus, as an independent contractor, the money is awesome when the workload is incredible. Again, extra money is very rarely a bad thing. It made the sacrifices seem worthwhile.

I knew things would slow down to a more manageable rate when summer ended, and they did. So, I made some adjustments, and I hoped that things would fall into place again.

But, then something unexpected happened. All of a sudden, Claire became a real person. She started growing and changing and although she was really good at solitary play, her naptimes started to shift, and she became even more verbal. Hearing her say, literally, “Momma, stop typing. Please don’t work on files. Stop typing, right now, Momma!” was starting to break my heart.

I started to question whether I could do this anymore. I didn’t think I could handle this. It was getting to be too much. I had to find a way to make this work!

It was then that my hubby, always the calm voice of reason, reminded me that I don’t need to do this job. I was doing it because it was fun and challenging and brought in some extra money, but it wasn’t required to put groceries on the table or pay the bills. Maybe it’s served its purposes?

“I don’t need to do this?” I remember gasping at the concept. “Oh, right…I’m doing this because I want to…” The light bulb went off in my head. “And, so if I no longer want to…what am I doing?”

It hit me like a ton of bricks, and I started plotting my escape.

As shocking as this is, ;) once I put my mind to something, it’s almost as good as done. Oh, and I have very little patience when it comes to things I’ve set my mind to…those are two dangerous combinations. ;) In fact, it’s best to just get out of my way at that point. :)

To the people on the outside of my head, my decision seemed to come out of nowhere. I thought you liked your job? (I do.) Don’t you need deadlines to function? (I hope not.) Haven’t you always worked? (Yes.) Why this sudden change? (Well, it’s not sudden…it just appears that way.)

I doubt I’ll look back on March 12, 2008 and say, “You know, I wish I could have done more files…” And, it would break my heart to not quit, and look back years from now and wonder where the time went that I didn’t spend with Claire. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

So, I’m quitting one full-time job to focus on my “real” full-time job. I only have a couple years left of just “me and Claire time” and then she’s in school. Maybe by then I will have figured out what I want to be when I grow up.

Or maybe not. ;)

Either way, I am so thankful that we are in a position where I can try this new adventure. I think Claire and I have earned this time together, and I think my husband deserves to come home to a less stressful home. (And, really…the man needs a break from doing all the grocery shopping!) ;)

Everyone will benefit, and that’s worth more than any of my paychecks.

I’ve never dealt with a gap on my résumé before, but I’m up to the challenge. I can’t wait to see what it holds!

Spoiler Alert

Published on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 in Books, Claire and Parenting 101. 0 Comments

Last week, one of my friends gave Claire two Maisy books.  Maisy is a little mouse that has all kinds of adventures.  In one of the books, at the beginning, Maisy goes to hide and then it’s up to us to look behind each flap on the following pages to see if we can find her.  Is she in the barn?  No!  Is she in the boat?  No!  Is she in the tree?  No!

(You get the idea…)

Well, after seeing that Maisy is hiding behind the door at the very end of the book, Claire thinks it’s rather silly to think that she’s anywhere but where she is…but that doesn’t stop her from wanting me to read the book 25-billion times a day.

Usually, as we’re reading each page, Claire will shout, “No! Maisy’s not there!” and then whisper, “Hey, Momma…Maisy’s at the end behind the door.”

It’s really pretty comical.

So, if you’re ever reading a book to Claire and you don’t want her to spoil the ending for you, make sure you’re reading one she’s never seen…or you’ll be sadly disappointed.  ;)

It’s a good thing she doesn’t get an advanced copy of the Lost scripts, or there would be no secrets left!  :)